


Liberation Tastes A Lot Like Candy, Actually

by indevan



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cutesy, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27237187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indevan/pseuds/indevan
Summary: This was supposed to be the year that he and Caspar would be allowed to trick-or-treat by themselves.  Unfortunately, Caspar had gotten in trouble (for what he didn’t tell Linhardt, which was odd for him since they always told each other everything) and so now they were saddled with being watched over by his older brother
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Linhardt von Hevring
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27
Collections: Fodlan Frights Halloween Exchange 2020





	Liberation Tastes A Lot Like Candy, Actually

**Author's Note:**

> my gift for danannie/@jiemo521 on twitter! i hope you like it :D

Linhardt stifled a yawn and shifted his pillowcase to his other hand. With his now freed hand, he turned to give his mother a wave as her car pulled out of the Bergliez’s driveway. He made his way up the steps--careful to walk over the one that was nearly broken and dipped whenever it was stepped on with any amount of weight--and rang the doorbell. Timed with the doorbell was a clap of thunder accompanied by a sample of Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor.”

The door opened a moment later to show Caspar’s mom holding a large, orange bowl with a jack-o-lantern face that was heaped with candy. She grinned expectantly and it faltered only slightly when she saw that it was Linhardt on the other side of the door. Despite their fathers’ longstanding beef with one another, neither of Caspar’s parents ever really had a problem with him. Linhardt figured her breech in beaming hospitality was because he was a kid she knew and not just a random gaggle of trick-or-treaters accompanied by their glaring, judgmental mothers.

“Come in,” she said, stepping aside.

Linhardt walked into the Bergliez foyer and immediately directed his gaze to the left where the staircase extended upwards.

“Caspar will be down in a minute,” Mrs. Bergliez said. “He’s ‘putting the finishing touches on his costume.’”

It impressed Linhardt that she was able to do finger quotes while holding that massive bowl.

“And Gunnar’s in the kitchen.”

At that, Linhardt cringed. Technically this was supposed to be the year that he and Caspar would be allowed to trick-or-treat by themselves. Caspar had turned twelve back in July and Linhardt was going to be twelve next week--they were plenty old, as far as he was concerned. Unfortunately, Caspar had gotten in trouble (for what he didn’t tell Linhardt, which was odd for him since they always told each other everything) and so now they were saddled with being watched over by his older brother, Gunnar. As if summoned by his thoughts, Gunnar ambled out from the kitchen towards the foyer. He was wearing a football jersey over a pair of jeans and carried his own pillowcase in one fisted hand.

“Nice costume,” Linhardt said with only a fraction of his usual sarcasm.

He still caught it, though, curling his lip slightly and looking over Linhardt’s own outfit.

“Could say the same to you. What the fuck are you supposed to be?”

“Gunnar,” Mrs. Bergliez said pleasantly. “Language.”

She didn’t really care about language, Linhardt had realized at a young age. He had figured out that it was because Mr. Bergliez cursed all the time without a care, so it was only natural that his sons would pick up on it as well.

“I’m Dr. Herbert West,” Linhardt said.

Two blank looks.

“From  _ Re-Animator.” _

Still nothing. Linhardt expected as much. While he grew faint looking at blood in real life, he didn’t really mind it in movies. In fact, he thought it was interesting to look up how older movies used their practical effects to make things look real or not. One night, he had stayed up until three in the morning, memorizing the names of the special effects greats from three decades ago and fell asleep in class the next day. His teachers were used to that, though. Linhardt was always falling asleep and he had the detention record and trips to the counselor to prove it.

Luckily, this particular exchange with Gunnar was cut off by the thunderous sound of feet on the stairs. Caspar always made himself sound like a one man stampede. It was almost impressive.

He jumped the last step and landed on the foyer floor.

“Hey!” he said brightly.  _ “Re-Animator?” _

Linhardt nodded.

“I’m a werewolf!”

“No, I got that.”

Caspar grinned, showing the fake fangs he wore on the upper and lower rows of his teeth. It was a good illusion, but it meant that he had to fit the bottom fangs over his upper lip when he closed his mouth. It also made his words sound a bit muffled and thick.

“You dorks ready?” Gunnar asked.

He sounded bored and a bit pissed, which was never a good combination. He was obviously as happy about the chaperoning arrangement as they were. Luckily, Linhardt also wanted to get going so, for once, he and Caspar’s brother agreed on something. He adjusted his glasses--even though they had no lenses--and started towards the door. Mrs. Bergliez waved from the door. The moment it was shut, Gunnar reached into his pillowcase.

“Here.”

He held something out to Caspar who stared at it blankly for a moment. With a sigh, he turned around and instead offered it to Linhardt. Even in the early evening gloom, Linhardt could see that it was a watch.

“What?” he asked.

Gunnar sighed impatiently.

“It’s a watch, dumbass. I know mom won’t let Cas have a phone yet so I figured you’d need it.”

When Linhardt didn’t take it, he reached out and grabbed his wrist and attached the watch to it.

“I have a phone,” Linhardt said.

“Yeah, well, the watch is easier than you going through your lab coat or whatever. Meet me at the corner of the street at ten.”

“What?” Caspar asked. He cocked his head to the side and, with the teeth and fake fur glued to his face, he looked not unlike an inquisitive puppy.

Gunnar gestured away from himself.

“I don’t wanna drag two kids all through the neighborhood and I bet you don’t want me either. Go trick-or-treat or whatever and then meet me here so mom thinks I took you. Duh.”

Linhardt perked up. Maybe Gunnar wasn’t so bad after all. He still was somewhat skeptical, though.

“What do you get out of it?”

He looked at the face of the watch, which was an old  _ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  _ one where Raphael’s--or was it Leonardo’s?--arms served as the minute and hour hands, rotating around his body in a manner that was entirely too frightening if dwelled on for too long. It was only a little past seven now.

“I get to hang with my friends and not you two dorks,” he said easily. “Now go. And remember: corner of the street. Ten.”

He said this to Linhardt, because Caspar would probably forget in his excitement to be trick-or-treating.

“Got it,” he said.

With a hitch of his chin, Gunnar shoved his free hand into his pocket and ambled down the sidewalk, swinging his pillowcase all the while. Linhardt watched him go for a moment before turning back to Caspar. His eyes were wide and a grin was on his face.

“Don’t smile so big,” Linhardt said. “Your fangs’ll pop out.”

Caspar considered his words and closed his mouth.

“C’mon, Lin! Let’s go!”

He grabbed Linhardt’s hand and started to drag him in the opposite direction as Gunnar. Caspar had grabbed his hand many times in their long friendship but this was the first time that the motion had made Linhardt’s heart  _ lurch _ in a way that he couldn’t explain. He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it as he Caspar ran off into the night, ready to fill their pillowcases--liberated and alone. He couldn’t wait.


End file.
